Thread-measuring device for sewing-machines.



E. ERICKSON.

THREAD MEASURING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICAHON FILED SEPT. 8. 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. ERICKSON.

THREAD MEASURING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICAHON FILED SEPT. s. 1914.

1 1 5 ,7'6'7. Patented 31, 1915.

2 SH SHEET 2.

wmsesr Me m? r Edward Embksam,

coLu mm PLANOURAFH c0..wAsmNa'r0N. D. c.

EDWARD EBICKSON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR SHOE MACHINERY 00., OF BOSTON, 1VTASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

THREAD-MEASURING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Application filed September 8, 1914. Serial No. 860,798.

To all 107mm it may concern Be it known that I, ED\VARD ERICKSON, asubject of the King of Sweden, and a resident of Lynn, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Threadl\1easiu-ing Devices for Sewing-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to thread measuring devices for sewing machinesand more particularly to such thread measuring devices which areautomatically adjusted to pull off varying amounts of thread inaccordance with the thickness of the work be ing operated upon.

The object of the invention is to provide a thread measuring devicewhich will be simple and efficacious and capable of operation at highrates of speed. The various features employed to the accomplishment ofthisobject, and such others as may hereinafter appear, will best beunderstood from the following description and accompanying drawings ofthe preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a sewing machine embodying thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the thread locking andpulling-off mechanism, and Fig. 3 is a detail View, looking in theopposite direction from Fig. 1, showing the presser foot and itsoperative connections with the main cam.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figuresof the drawings.

The general structure of the sewing machine shown in the drawings may beand preferably is the same as that of the machine shown and described inanother application filed by me on December 28, 1912, Serial No.739,056, saidoriginal application having matured into Patent No.1,137,198, dated April 27, 1915. as in that application, the machineframe 10 is provided with bearings to support the main shaft 11 uponwhich are mounted cams for actuating the several parts of the machine.The presser foot 12 is carried on the end of the lever 13 which ispivotally mounted at 11 andwhich isactuated to :lift the presser foot,once during'the formation of each stitch, by the action of a gear 16which meshes with a segmental rack 15 on the presser foot lever. Thegear is actuated through connections w th a cam path 17 on a cam 18 andmechanism generally indicated at 19 to lock the presser foot while theawl pierces the work, all as fully described in the prior application.

The course of the thread through the machine is shown in Fig. 1. Thethread enters the machine from any suitable source of supply through aguide 20 and then leads to the locking and pulling off device, whichwill be hereinafter described, and then into a wax pot 21. The wax potcontains a roll 22 around which the thread passes to receive its coatingof wax and a stripper 23 which removes the superfluous wax therefrom.From the stripper the thread passes through an eye in theend of a lightspring 24 which serves to takeup anyslack thread which may occur duringthe formation of a stitchand then around a fixed roll 25 and around therolls 26 on the takeup lever'27 and to the stitch forminginstrumentalities. The rolls26 on the takeup lever coact with a fixedroll 28 to set the stitch as described in the above mentionedapplication; In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the takeuplever ispositively actuated in both directions by a pair of cams 29 and30which engage a fork 31 on the rear ofthe'lever.

The thread locking and pulling: off device is shown on an enlarged scalein Fig. 2. The thread passes through a diagonal hole 32 in ablock 33 andthen down the fiat'back surface of the block to a hole 31 through 10 inengagement'with a cam ll on the main shaft 1.1.

The 1 01140 is actuated only by the higher portion of the cam so thatthe pin 35 is moved to a fixed point away from'thej block 33 butallowedzto return into contact there with in whatever position the blockmay be found. It is apparent that the movement of the pin 35 away fromthe block 33 will pull thread from the source of supply, the threadextending from the pin 35 through the wax pot to the work being heldtaut during the movement of said pin 85 by the member 22, the stripper23 and the takeup mechanism. As the block forms an abutment for the pin,the thread which lies on the flat rear surface of the block is grippedbetween the pin and the block, thus locking the thread to resist thestrain of setting the stitch.

In order that the amount of thread pulled off may vary in accordancewith the thickness of the work, provision is made for ad justing theposition of the block 33 through connections with the presser foot sothat the pulling off movement of the pin 35 is varied. The block ismounted on an arm 4L5 pivoted at 46 on the machine frame and connectedat its end with the arm 37 by a spring 47. The arm 45 is also connectedby a link l8 with an extension 4-9 of the presser foot lever 13. By thisconstruction the block 83 is moved to the right in Fig. 1 when thethickness of the work increases, and as the pin 35 is connected with theblock by the spring 47, the pin follows the block so that the nextmovement of the pin will pull off a correspondingly greater amount ofthread. It is apparent that the length of thread pulledoil will varydirectly with the distance between the. presser foot and the worksupport.

Connections are made with a treadle, not

' shown in the drawings, whereby the presser foot may be lifted and thethread unlocked. The upper end of the treadle rod 51 is connected withan arm 52 extending from a rock shaft 53 which causes the presser footto be unlocked when the shaft is turned, as is described in the priorapplication. The treadle rod also carries a pin 54: which, after thepresser foot is unlocked, engages an arm 55 extending from the arm 45and lifts the presser foot through its connection with the arm 45.

It is believed that the many advantages of this invention will be fullyunderstood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread pulling member, means independent of said presser foot foractuating the pulling member whereby it is always moved to apredetermined point on its thread pulling movement, a thread engagingabutment to position the pulling member in its inoperative condition andwith which it coacts to lock the thread, a spring for normally retainingsaid pulling member in contact with said abutment, thereby locking thethread, and connections between the abutment and the presser footwhereby the abutment is moved in accordance with the movement of thepresser foot.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread engaging block, a thread pulling member normally coacting withsaid block to lock the thread, means independent of said presser footfor actuating the pulling member, means actuated by the presser footwhereby the position of said block is changed and the movement of thepulling member is varied in accordance with the thickness of the workengaged by the presser foot, and yielding means connecting said presserfoot actuated means with the pulling member.

ln a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, ablock engaging the thread at two points, a thread pulling memberengaging the thread between said two points, means for holding saidmemberyieldingly against the block, means for actuating the pullingmember and connections between the presser foot and the block wherebythe block is moved in accordance with the thickness of the work engagedby the presser foot.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread pulling member, means for actuating the pulling member, a threadengaging block coacting with the pulling member to lock the thread,connections between the block and the presser foot, and means for movingthe block to unlock the thread and lift the presser foot.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread pulling member, an arm carrying an abutment to limit the movementof the pulling member, a spring for normally retaining said pullingmember in con tact with said abutment, a link connecting the arm and thepresser foot, and means for moving the arm to lift the presser foot.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread pulling member, means for actuating the pulling member, acoacting thread engaging block, a spring to hold the pulling memberagainst the block to lock the thread, connections between the block andthe presser foot whereby the position of the block is varied inaccordance with the thickness of the work, and manually act ated meansfor moving the block.

.7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread pulling member, an arm carrying an abutment to limit the movementof the pulling member, a spring for normally retaining said pullingmember in contact with said abutment, a link connecting the arm and thepresser foot, and a reciprocating member controlled by the operator formoving the arm to lift the presser foot.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport; a pivoted presser foot coacting therewith provided with arearward extension; a pivoted arm; a link between said extension andarm; an abutment on said arm; an oscillating arm provided with a,lateral pin; a spring between said pivoted arm and said pin-carrying armnormally retaining said lateral pin in contact with said abutment tolock the thread; and a cam for moving said pin-carrying-arm about itspivot against the tension of said spring.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread engaging block movable into various positions by the movement ofsaid presser foot due to different thicknesses of material engaged bysaid presser foot, a

movable member engaging the thread on said block and adapted to pull thethread therefrom during its movement, means for holding said memberyieldingly against the block and locking the thread, and meansindependent of the oresser foot for moving the thread pulling memberaway from said block always to a predetermined point.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a worksupport, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, athread engaging block movable into various positions by the movement ofsaid presser foot due to different thicknesses of material engaged bysaid presser foot, a movable member engaging the thread on said blockand adapted to pull the thread therefrom during it; movement, means forholding said member yieldingly against the block and locking the thread,and a revoluble cam for moving the thread pulling member away from saidblock always to a predetermined point.

Signed by me at Boston, Mass, this 11th day of August, 1914.

EDWARD ERICKSON. lVitnesses:

WALTER E. LoMBARD, EDWARD F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

